Jeffery a controversial pick for Bears

The Lions made Williams the 10th overall pick of the 2005 draft. He didn't work hard and he didn't stay in shape, and subsequently three teams cut him. He finally has found his way on his fourth team, the Seahawks.

Emery thinks the comparison is invalid.

"Mike Williams isn't as athletic as Alshon," he said. "Mike is more of an inside receiver. A lot of people thought he would be a tight end. This guy is an outside receiver. He's a very dynamic vertical receiver because he is such a big, physical target."

Hardin is an unknown because he barely has played, and he's being moved to a new position from cornerback. He didn't play a snap in 2011 because of a broken shoulder. He was drafted almost solely on his physical ability.

He has plenty of that. At 6-3, 222 pounds, he ran a 4.43 40-yard dash and his vertical jump was 35 1/2 inches at his pro day.

One front office man said he might not play up to those numbers though.

"He is big and fast but super tight," he said.

Being super tight could work against Hardin at cornerback, where he played at Oregon State. But the Bears plan on him playing strong safety.

"We do like the fact he has corner skills, he has been a cornerback," Emery said. "The thing we have noticed is he is very good at using his size and physicalness and leveraging receivers. We see him helping us further is matching up against some of the tight ends we face."

There is risk involved with what the Bears did Friday. But there is potential reward too.

A potential big reward.

dpompei@tribune.com

Twitter @danpompei